Curlicues of bunched garlic scapes look whimsical, but scapes are seriously tasty.
Do you love garlic but have run out of last season’s garlic cloves? Not to worry—garlic scapes are here! Scapes are the tall flowering stalk of the garlic plant. They have a mild garlic flavor and can be used to add garlicky goodness to so many dishes. Here are several tasty suggestions.
Garlic Scape Pesto—Blend with pine nuts, Parmesan, olive oil, lemon, and salt and pepper. Add basil, if you want.
Grilled or Roasted—Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper, and grill for 2 minutes on each side.
Hummus—Swap scapes for garlic cloves. Great in a lemony, tahini-free hummus.
Compound Butter—Add some lemon and fresh thyme.
Pizza—Delicious on a white grilled pizza with caramelized onions.
Stir-fry—They lose some bite when sautéed, so use 3-4 times as much.
Salads—Blanch them first, like you would green beans.
Soup—Add to soup towards the end to get the best flavor from the scapes.
Pickled—Add to your favorite pickle recipe, or just pickle the scapes themselves in vinegar, salt and dill.
Sautéed—Great with shrimp.
Quesadillas—Grill them first and add lots of cheese!
Omelets—Add cut-up scapes, arugula and a little basil along with cheese.
Pork Burgers—Mix with Nash’s Italian sausage or ground pork, and a little rosemary. OMG!!